In 1 Kings 19, the prophet Elijah recruits his replacement. Verse 21 says Elisa "took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them." He "burned his ploughing equipment" and "set out to follow Elijah and became hsi attendant." One thing is for sure: Elisha wasn't going back to farming! He slaughtered his oxen and burned his ploughing equipment. Elisha burned a bridge - going back to his old way of life was not an option. Like the old song says, "I have decided to follow Jess, no turning back, no turning back."
Acts 19 records another instance of "pryo-discipleship." It says "A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty-thousand drachmas." This ritual brought closure to a chapter of their lives in dramatic fashion.
Sometimes we need to take extreme measures to avoid temptation. That's what these disciples did in Acts 19. They built a bonfire and burned the source of temptation.
I remembered one time several years back when a new believer confessed some sin issues to me and then invited me over to his house and together, we filled three garbage bags with CDs and videos and magazines. Not all of them were sinful in and of themselves, but they were a source of temptation. Part of moving on is not allowing ourselves the abililty to go back.
In the word of aviation, the point of no return is the critical point in the flight where remaining fuel is insufficient for a return to the departure point. Sometimes we need to burn a plough or burn a book or burn a bridge so we can move on.
(Adapted from Senior Pastot Guna Raman devotion "Managing Transitions in a Downturn")
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